Taking your child for a healthy or well-child visit is as important as taking them for a sick visit. It’s no denying that vaccination and immunization are an integral part of healthy child checkups; however, there is much more to healthy child checkups than ensuring that your child’s immunization card is up to date.
Let’s talk about what healthy child checkups are and where you can go for comprehensive pediatric care in Tampa, FL.
What Are Healthy Child Checkups?
Healthy child checkups are when parents check up on their child’s health and ensure that their mental and physical growth and development are normal. It’s a good time to focus on your child’s wellness, even if your child is healthy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed comprehensive health guidelines for healthy child checkups, also known as a periodicity schedule. This periodicity schedule includes screenings and assessments recommended at each healthy child checkup from infancy through adolescence.
The schedule of recommended healthy child checkups is as follows:
- The first-week visit
- 1 month old
- 2 months old
- 4 months old
- 6 months old
- 9 months old
- 12 months old
- 15 months old
- 18 months old
- 24 months old
- 30 months old
- 3 years old
- 4 years old
- 5 years old
- 6 years old
- 7 years old
- 8 years old
- 9 years old
- 10 years old
- 11 years old
- 12 years old
- 13 years old
- 14 years old
- 15 years old
- 16 years old
- 17 years old
- 18 years old
- 19 years old
- 20 years old
- 21 years old
What Does Healthy Child Checkup Include?
In addition to giving the child any necessary shots, the healthy child check will include:
- A physical exam: During the physical exam, the pediatrician records your child’s height, weight, and other important factors. Your child may also be screened for vision, hearing, etc.
- Track growth and developmental milestones: Your pediatrician talks about child developmental milestones, social behaviors, and learning – and sees how much your child has grown since your last visit.
- Discussion on how to handle emergencies and sudden child illnesses
- Discussion about nutrition and physical fitness, and child’s health and safety issues
During healthy child checkups, you can also bring up any worries about your child’s growth and development, especially if your child isn’t reaching the important physical and developmental milestones. You can also get valuable advice on promoting your child’s learning and development.
Yearly Checkup in Tampa, FL
If you want to protect your child from illnesses and keep them healthy, don’t hesitate to contact us here at the Children’s Medical Center. Our team has highly skilled and compassionate pediatricians committed to providing comprehensive pediatric care to your child up to the age of 18.
If you would like to make an appointment with our exceptionally skilled providers, call the location nearest you for a convenient appointment time.